Lawmaker reflects on his time in office

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 7:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 7:14 p.m.

BATON ROUGE — When the Legislature undertook redistricting last year and redrew the 3rd Congressional District, it was widely viewed as an unfavorable move for U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, the district's incumbent who was first elected in 2010.

All of the Houma-Thibodaux area precincts were removed from the reconfigured district, and Landry was forced to stand for re-election against Rep. Charles Boustany, also a Republican incumbent. The redrawn 3rd District contained more of Boustany's old stumping grounds — formerly the 7th Congressional District in southwest Louisiana — than it did Landry's.

Boustany carried 60 percent of the vote in the new district's runoff this month, essentially sending Landry back home to New Iberia for 2013 rather than to Washington, D.C., for another term. Moreover, Boustany carried every parish from his old district, as did Landry; the numbers just happened to favor Boustany.

“The results were geographical,” Landry told The Courier in an interview last week. “But that election is over. (Boustany) basically represents me now, and I get to be a constituent again. That's not bad. That means he basically works for me and the rest of the district. I wish him and his family a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and I look forward to him delivering on the obligations and promises he made to the district.”

Even if Landry would have claimed victory earlier this month and his service wasn't ending Jan. 3, this still would have been his last few days representing Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. That's because the northern halves of the parishes were lumped in with the new 6th Congressional District, anchored by Baton Rouge, and the southern portions with the new 1st Congressional District, which is heavily influenced by voters in the Metairie region and St. Tammany Parish.

The move diluted the voting strength long enjoyed by Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, Landry said, and may even serve to one day divide their interests in certain respects.

“After two years in office, my only regret is that during this whole redistricting issue Terrebonne and Lafourche were not left whole,” Landry said, noting it was ultimately the decision of the Legislature. “That is by far my biggest regret. Over 180 years of precedent was broken, and that was a major disappointment.”

Landry, who turned 42 two days before Christmas, said he instantly connected with the Terrebonne-Lafourche region during his first stint in elected office. He first became intimately familiar with the region six years ago as a campaign adviser to former state Sen. Craig Romero, who made unsuccessful runs for the same congressional seat Landry holds.

“Growing up in St. Martin Parish isn't much different from growing up in Terrebonne or Lafourche,” Landry said. “There's sugar cane, oilfield workers, and we have the crawfish and they have the shrimp. The only thing that separates us is the Atchafalaya Basin.”

The Terrebonne-Lafourche region has also been ripe for fundraising for Landry. During his time in office, Edison Chouest Offshore has given him $37,900, C&G Boats $28,000 and Bollinger Shipyards $27,100 — they also rank second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in terms of Landry's top donors since 2010.

An attorney and small businessman, Landry said he enjoyed the policy work he did for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. He said his “most rewarding” achievements include helping increase the offshore drilling revenue provided to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama from $500 million per year to $750 million per year.

But looking back, Landry said it was the people who always stood out more than the politics.

“I remember a World War I veteran, a prisoner of war who had unsuccessfully tried for seven years to get his veteran benefits, and we helped him within 30 days to get what he needed,” Landry said. “There was another lady in Houma, she owned an oilfield services company and she was having trouble with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility during the drilling moratorium. We ended up helping her get some relief.”

Through his two years on Capitol Hill, Landry championed fiscal conservative causes like those connected to the tea party movement that first helped him get elected. For example, Landry said he was able to cut his office's expenses by 11 percent on top of previous reductions approved by the House.

“That's money we returned to the taxpayers,” he said.

Landry said he was “fire-tested” during his time in the House, maybe more so than most congressmen. His term started in the middle of President Barack Obama's own rocky term, which was followed by historic spring floods, the BP oil spill, redistricting and more.

“I felt like I was halfway under water. We never had an opportunity to breathe,” he said. “Right now it's actually a little relaxing.”

During a speech on job creation by the president in 2011, Landry managed to share a few headlines with Obama by holding a sign that read “Drilling = Jobs” as the president spoke. It was one of the many ways he was able to gain coverage from publications ranging from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal.

As for the future, Landry said he'll return to work and likely continue to be a voice and personality on conservative radio and talk shows. And then there's his political future — recent rumors have included a possible run for district attorney back home or a challenge to U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a New Orleans Democrat, in 2014 — which Landry is steering clear of talking about in any great detail.

Instead, he'd rather talk about more immediate plans. Landry said his son JT was 6 years old when he entered Congress and is now 8. He said he's also looking forward to spending time with his wife.

“I'll be taking my little boy to school and my wife to get coffee. I'll also be hunting as much as I can in January,” Landry said. “But I intend to stay involved, and I intend to stay vocal. We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.”

<p>BATON ROUGE — When the Legislature undertook redistricting last year and redrew the 3rd Congressional District, it was widely viewed as an unfavorable move for U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, the district's incumbent who was first elected in 2010. </p><p>All of the Houma-Thibodaux area precincts were removed from the reconfigured district, and Landry was forced to stand for re-election against Rep. Charles Boustany, also a Republican incumbent. The redrawn 3rd District contained more of Boustany's old stumping grounds — formerly the 7th Congressional District in southwest Louisiana — than it did Landry's.</p><p>Boustany carried 60 percent of the vote in the new district's runoff this month, essentially sending Landry back home to New Iberia for 2013 rather than to Washington, D.C., for another term. Moreover, Boustany carried every parish from his old district, as did Landry; the numbers just happened to favor Boustany.</p><p>“The results were geographical,” Landry told The Courier in an interview last week. “But that election is over. (Boustany) basically represents me now, and I get to be a constituent again. That's not bad. That means he basically works for me and the rest of the district. I wish him and his family a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and I look forward to him delivering on the obligations and promises he made to the district.”</p><p>Even if Landry would have claimed victory earlier this month and his service wasn't ending Jan. 3, this still would have been his last few days representing Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. That's because the northern halves of the parishes were lumped in with the new 6th Congressional District, anchored by Baton Rouge, and the southern portions with the new 1st Congressional District, which is heavily influenced by voters in the Metairie region and St. Tammany Parish. </p><p>The move diluted the voting strength long enjoyed by Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, Landry said, and may even serve to one day divide their interests in certain respects. </p><p>“After two years in office, my only regret is that during this whole redistricting issue Terrebonne and Lafourche were not left whole,” Landry said, noting it was ultimately the decision of the Legislature. “That is by far my biggest regret. Over 180 years of precedent was broken, and that was a major disappointment.”</p><p>Landry, who turned 42 two days before Christmas, said he instantly connected with the Terrebonne-Lafourche region during his first stint in elected office. He first became intimately familiar with the region six years ago as a campaign adviser to former state Sen. Craig Romero, who made unsuccessful runs for the same congressional seat Landry holds.</p><p>“Growing up in St. Martin Parish isn't much different from growing up in Terrebonne or Lafourche,” Landry said. “There's sugar cane, oilfield workers, and we have the crawfish and they have the shrimp. The only thing that separates us is the Atchafalaya Basin.”</p><p>The Terrebonne-Lafourche region has also been ripe for fundraising for Landry. During his time in office, Edison Chouest Offshore has given him $37,900, C&G Boats $28,000 and Bollinger Shipyards $27,100 — they also rank second, fourth and fifth, respectively, in terms of Landry's top donors since 2010.</p><p>An attorney and small businessman, Landry said he enjoyed the policy work he did for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. He said his “most rewarding” achievements include helping increase the offshore drilling revenue provided to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama from $500 million per year to $750 million per year. </p><p>But looking back, Landry said it was the people who always stood out more than the politics. </p><p>“I remember a World War I veteran, a prisoner of war who had unsuccessfully tried for seven years to get his veteran benefits, and we helped him within 30 days to get what he needed,” Landry said. “There was another lady in Houma, she owned an oilfield services company and she was having trouble with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility during the drilling moratorium. We ended up helping her get some relief.” </p><p>Through his two years on Capitol Hill, Landry championed fiscal conservative causes like those connected to the tea party movement that first helped him get elected. For example, Landry said he was able to cut his office's expenses by 11 percent on top of previous reductions approved by the House. </p><p>“That's money we returned to the taxpayers,” he said. </p><p>Landry said he was “fire-tested” during his time in the House, maybe more so than most congressmen. His term started in the middle of President Barack Obama's own rocky term, which was followed by historic spring floods, the BP oil spill, redistricting and more. </p><p>“I felt like I was halfway under water. We never had an opportunity to breathe,” he said. “Right now it's actually a little relaxing.” </p><p>During a speech on job creation by the president in 2011, Landry managed to share a few headlines with Obama by holding a sign that read “Drilling = Jobs” as the president spoke. It was one of the many ways he was able to gain coverage from publications ranging from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal. </p><p>As for the future, Landry said he'll return to work and likely continue to be a voice and personality on conservative radio and talk shows. And then there's his political future — recent rumors have included a possible run for district attorney back home or a challenge to U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, a New Orleans Democrat, in 2014 — which Landry is steering clear of talking about in any great detail.</p><p>Instead, he'd rather talk about more immediate plans. Landry said his son JT was 6 years old when he entered Congress and is now 8. He said he's also looking forward to spending time with his wife. </p><p>“I'll be taking my little boy to school and my wife to get coffee. I'll also be hunting as much as I can in January,” Landry said. “But I intend to stay involved, and I intend to stay vocal. We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.” </p><p>Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.</p>